


Penguins

by kathkin



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (1963)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-18
Updated: 2015-04-18
Packaged: 2018-03-24 15:19:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 671
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3773557
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kathkin/pseuds/kathkin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><i>“What’re they?” / "They're gorillas." / “I feel like I should be sayin’ how do you do.”</i> Polly and Jamie at the zoo.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Penguins

“This _used_ to be the way to the penguins,” Polly said, looking around herself doubtfully. “They must have moved things around since I was last here.” The last time she’d visited had been something like thirty-five years ago. She was trying not to think about it too hard.”

“Mibbe we should have kept that wee map the Doctor picked up,” said Jamie.

The Doctor and Ben had gone to the reptile house. Polly had balked on the grounds that snakes and lizards made her skin crawl, and Jamie had said he didn’t fancy it either, though whether he really didn’t or he was playing the gentleman she didn’t know. “Oh, probably,” said Polly. Now that he mentioned it, it seemed obvious. She’d been so sure she knew what she was doing. The penguins had always been her favourite. She’d come to see them so many times when she was a little girl that she’d felt certain she could get there blindfolded.

Jamie was eying up the half-finished bag of popcorn she was clutching hopefully. “Are you going tae finish that?”

“Oh, no,” said Polly, thrusting it at him. “You have it.” Jamie began to stuff it into his face by the handful. He had a way of eating like he expected his food to grow legs and run away any moment. Some maternal, middle-class part of Polly that she was carefully quashing wanted to scold him for it.

They’d reached a junction between three pathways. Around them, various kinds of monkeys were hooting and hopping about in their cages. Polly looked about herself and picked a direction, trying to look confident. “This way.”

Jamie followed her cheerfully. “I dinnae mind if we’re lost,” he said around a mouthful of popcorn.

“Don’t talk with your mouth full,” said Polly before she could stop herself.

Jamie swallowed. “I said, I dinnae mind if we’re lost. I’m nae sure what penguins are, anyway.”

“Oh, they’re birds,” said Polly. “Water birds.”

“Doesnae sound very interesting tae me,” Jamie said.

“No, no, they are,” said Polly. “They –”

They rounded a corner and Jamie exclaimed. “What’re they?” He rushed up to the fence without waiting for an answer.

“They’re gorillas,” Polly said, hastening after him. She was about to hurry him on, because she so dearly wanted to see the penguins before they left, but when she saw the look of delight upon his face she couldn’t bring herself to.

The nearest gorillas, slumped ungainly on the ground beneath a tree, were a mother and child. They watched in silence for a while as the mother groomed her baby, dragging it back whenever it tried to squirm out of her grip. “They’re like big hairy men,” said Jamie. “I feel like I should be sayin’ how do you do.”

“They’re just animals,” said Polly. She’d never really been one for monkeys. The mother gorilla turned to look at them. Jamie waved. The gorilla looked away, disinterested.

“They’re wonderful,” said Jamie, leaning upon the fence of the enclosure. “Where do they come from?”

“Africa, I think,” Polly said. Glancing about, she noticed that the couple ogling the gorillas a few feet away had a map of the zoo. “Oh, could I borrow that?” she said, edging towards them. 

When she came back with her prize, Jamie was looking sheepish. “Sorry,” he said.

“For what?” said Polly, perusing the map. “Oh, _I_ see. I wasn’t that far off.” She handed the map back to its rightful owners.

“For keepin’ you from the penguins,” Jamie explained. He gave the gorillas one last longing look and stood upright. “Shall we go find them?”

“I’m sure the penguins can wait a little longer.” Polly nodded further up the walk. “I think they have orang-utans up there.”

“Oranga-what?”

Polly was about to explain when it occurred to her that it would be rather pointless. “Oh, I’ll show you,” she said, taking him by the elbow and leading him away. “Then we can find the penguins,” she added in case he got any ideas.


End file.
